My mother had bought me a party dress. a low-cut one-piece, the Little Black Dress that every woman is traditionally supposed to have. It fitted itself to my body perfectly, the automation in the fabric adjusting to cling to my curves like the finest black silk. I adjusted it to display a lot of cleavage, the PA reacting instantly to my directions, flowing deep between my breasts to show just the tiniest hint at the deep red lips positioned between my tits. The PA also dressed my hair, something I can rarely be bothered to do for myself, curling it into an artfully tousled mass on my head.

Mom also presented me with a leather choker necklace, the color almost identical to the naturally dark and strong skin on my lower legs and feet, where a Norm would wear shoes or boots. The choker was set with brilliant-cut white stones which were probably Diaminz(TM) - artificial diamonds, although without the flaws and imperfections of the real thing.

The necklace was accompanied by matching ankle straps and bracelets, which made it look as if I was wearing real shoes and gloves, and earrings which molded themselves to my lobes in a moment.

I felt like a million dollars, although in truth the whole outfit probably cost only a tenth of that. Mom herself put the final touches to the fit of my garment before licking me on the lips just made visible between my breasts.

"There," she said, standing back approvingly, "Everyone in the room will be wanting you now."

While we had been dressing, the apartment automation had been busy, re-arranging the furniture and setting out plates for snacks and glasses for drinks. As her guests arrived, the PA would fill them on demand, knowing - or at least predicting with astonishing precision - each guest's preference at that time and place, based on a lifetime's intensive observation and insight.

Mom and I emerged from the bedroom together, just as the first of her guests appeared at the doorway. Gary had also changed for the occasion, now wearing a stiff white collar and black bow tie, together with formal cuffs set with glittering stones. Otherwise, his torso was bare, providing a perfect opportunity for him to show off his oiled and rippling muscles. It was a classic look, and one he was able to carry off to perfection; he was quite an attraction, or perhaps distraction, as he welcomed the guests and directed them to the drinks and buffet.

Mon took her place close to the entrance, greeting those people she knew with a kiss and embrace, and those she did not similarly - although once or twice I detected an embrace with more than a little lingering passion as a particularly interesting personage passed through.

The automation in Mom's apartment is really something special. Even now, she is able to afford several fairly expensive value-added services which she utilizes to the full for the frequent parties and social events she hosts. As the room filled with people, and the buzz of conversation and the crush of warm bodies increased, the apartment became correspondingly alive with the magic of the VAPAware.

The walls of the room, normally dull and unmoving, were now alight with soft glows and scarcely-glimpsed blurs of movement. The PA constantly monitors the direction of one's gaze, tracking the movement of the eyeballs and the direction of one's attention so that, when the automation moves to perform whatever function is requested or required, it is always out of direct sight.

In an empty room, of course, the PA works with minimum hindrance and this is when non-urgent background tasks, like cleaning, are performed. Similarly, if one sits quietly, reading a static book (how fashionably archaic!) or watching some old-style flat-screen entertainment, the motion of the automation is barely perceptible.

In a room full of alert active people, on the other hand, the PA has to work very much harder to remain unseen. At the party, the air continuously blurred with movement, only sensed subliminally, in the corners of the eye, accompanied by a faint buzz and hiss, occasionally audible over the music and the chatter, as the automation rushes to attend to everyone's wants and needs.

I suppose this rush of barely glimpsed movement might have been confusing, perhaps, to one who had never experienced it, but it has been so much a part of my everyday life for so long that it becomes easy enough to ignore. It’s just a part of the world.